Urnula craterium

Scientific name:   Urnula craterium (Schwein.) Fr.
Derivation of name: Urnula means "little urn."
Crater- means "cup" or "crater."
Synonyms: Peziza craterium Schweinitz 
Common name(s):  Devil's urn; Crater cup
Phylum:   Ascomycota
Order:   Pezizales
Family:   Sarcosomataceae
Occurrence on wood substrate:  Saprobic on deciduous
wood; in groups or clusters on decaying wood or on the
ground attached to buried wood; spring.
Dimensions:  This fungus is deeply cup-shaped with a
distinct stalk; cups are 3-11 cm high and 2-7 cm wide.   
Sterile outer surface:  Black to brownish-black, grayish-
brown, or pinkish-brown; scurfy; margin toothed and
irregularly torn.       
Fertile inner surface: Blackish-brown to black; smooth.

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Figure 1. This is a typical occurrence of Urnula
craterium, next to a fallen branch.
Photo © John Dawson.


Figure 2. Another cluster of fruit bodies near a fallen
hardwood branch. Photo © Larry Grand.

Figure 3. Note how black the inner fertile surface can be.
Photo © John Plischke III.

Figure 4. Crater cup and devil's urn are such appropriate
names for this fungus. Photo © David Work.

Figure 5. Arora indicates the outside surface can be
pinkish-gray with cups becoming darker and smoother
with age. Note the torn rim. Photo © Fred Habegger.

Figure 6. A beautiful specimen of Urnula craterium.
Photo © Chris Snyder.